The end of October marks the beginning of a significant time in many cultures: the holiday season. From Diwali to Christmas to Kwanzaa, the season is packed full of celebrations and times to reflect on the past year. RIT is home to unique cultures and perspectives, which leads to new experiences that everyone can enjoy.
Holidays on Campus
It is not news to our readers that December is a chaotic time for RIT students. Students barely get the time to adjust to regular school life after Thanksgiving break before final projects are done and it’s time to study for finals. Then, around the middle of the month, the semester is over and winter break begins. This means that most of the campus is empty or closed during the height of the holiday season. While this is great for those who want to spend that time at home, it leaves students stuck on campus to navigate this time themselves. On page 19 there is a bingo board that lists some local activities.
However, religious and cultural groups on campus take advantage of the time they have and hold their own events outside of official RIT-led ones.
Diwali on Campus
Diwali, also known as the festival of lights, is celebrated in many different ways across the country of India. The holiday falls on Oct. 31, 2024 and celebrations continue up until Nov. 1, 2024. According to the Hindustan Times, families and regions celebrate the festival in different ways, but many of the core values of overcoming the darkness remain the same. For many, Diwali is not a single-day celebration. In many regions of India, festivities start on Navratri, a nine-day celebration honoring the goddess Durga, immediately followed by Dussehra, which celebrates Lord Rama’s victory over the demon king Ravana. Karva Chauth, a fasting ritual for married women, is one of the last celebrations before the official start of the holiday, Dhanteras.
Anaanya Poddar, a second year international student, reflects back on the season. “Even though I’m in America now, I still participate in the rituals with my family and on campus.” Throughout her childhood, she recalls decorating her home with rangoli, lighting diyas to welcome the goddess Lakshmi, and praying with her family. In the past, fireworks and sparklers had a special place in the festival, but this tradition has declined in recent years due to pollution concerns. Many families also choose to give gifts, such as silver coins or boxes of dried fruits. “My grandfather would give money to everyone. It’s a time where gift exchanges are super common,” she said. The lively energy and bright lights of Diwali start the holiday season around the world.
The Many Kinds of Christmas
Within Christianity is a plethora of denominations that have their own traditions and holidays, especially when it comes to countries that experienced European colonization and missionary trips. Most of our readers will be familiar with the U.S. celebration of Christmas. Dec. 24, Christmas Eve, is sometimes when a celebratory dinner is held, and then the morning of Dec. 25 is when well behaved children open gifts left by Santa Claus overnight. Santa Claus himself is a derivative of Saint Nicholas (hence the nickname “Saint Nick” used in classic Christmas rhymes), who was called “Sinterklaas” by Dutch immigrants. Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of children and sailors. While Saint Nicholas plays a major role in the stories of American Christmas, the day itself celebrates the biblical birth of Jesus Christ.
“The Twelve Days of Christmas” that you hear about in the classic holiday jingle refer to the days of celebration between Dec. 24 and Jan. 6, which marks the time between Jesus’ birth and when he is visited by the three Magi/Kings. Among the people that observe this time, Jan. 6 is referred to as the Epiphany.
In many European countries among Orthodox Christians, Saint Nicholas Day is its own holiday. In most Western countries it occurs on Dec. 6, while among Eastern countries it is celebrated on Dec 19. Celebrations are often observed in Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Belgium and some parts of Greece and Russia. For many Central European countries that celebrate on the sixth, Dec. 5 is Krampusnacht (Krampus night), which is when a horned creature named Krampus is said to visit and punish misbehaving children. In reality, people dressed up as Krampus participate in the Krampuslauf (Krampus run) which is meant to scare and entertain audiences.
Other Christian Holidays
For Catholics in Mexico and parts of the United States, Dec. 12 is the feast day for Our Lady of Guadalupe, or Saint Mary, who is the patron saint of Mexico and the patroness of the Americas.
On Dec. 13, Sweden, Norway, Finland and other Northern European countries celebrate Saint Lucia Day.
In El Salvador, Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras, and among Latin Americans in the United States, an additional holiday called Las Posadas is celebrated on Dec. 16. The title translates to “The Inn,” which evokes the inn outside of which Jesus was born. Celebrations include songful retellings and re-enactments of the Nativity story.
Islamic Holidays
For Muslims, Sept. 15 marked the end of Mawlid an-Nabi, which is the celebration of the birth of the prophet Muhammad. This is the last major holiday until Ramadan begins again on March 1. As for smaller holidays, Dec. 13th has Wiladat Bibi Zainab bint Ali, which celebrates the birth of the Prophet Muhammad’s granddaughter. Then there is Fatimiyya, a Shia observance based on the martyrdom of Muhammad’s daughter, Lady Fatima. This is split into two windows based on possible dates for her death: this winter, the first spans Dec. 12 to 14 and the second Fatemiyeh spans Jan. 1 to 3.
Pagan Yule
In Paganism, there are two kinds of holidays (also known as Sabbats) that are related to the changing seasons: Lesser Sabbats and Greater Sabbats. Lesser Sabbats mark equinoxes and solstices while Greater Sabbats mark the midpoints between them. Pagans often celebrate Samhain, a Greater Sabbat, on Halloween. Their Lesser Sabbat for the winter solstice — Dec. 21 — is Yule, and their traditions for celebrating it predate, and are often borrowed by, many of the customs associated with Christmas.
Hanukkah on Campus
The celebration of Hanukkah begins on the evening of Dec. 25, 2024, and continues up until Jan. 2, 2025. It is an eight-day and night festival for the Jewish community. The origins of this holiday are traced back to The Books of the Maccabees. The Maccabees were a group of Jewish rebel warriors who took control of Judea. In a rebellion against the king, they stormed the temple of Jerusalem with an oil lamp, said to only last one night. The flame burned for eight days and eight nights, which gives the festival its length.
The holiday has many traditions honored throughout the years. One of the most celebrated traditions in the Jewish community is the dreidel, a spinning top. Studying the Torah was banned in Jerusalem where the Jewish people were once enslaved. Dreidels became a staple, as a way to learn the Torah without being suspicious, designed as a spinning top toy. Even the name Hanukkah has meaning: “dedication.” This is a direct callback to the rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem from Greek gods to the God of Israel.
Last year, Chabad at RIT, as well as RIT Hillel, hosted a number of offerings throughout the festival, such as a menorah lighting, latke eating, dreidel playing and a speech given by President Munson. Shabbat at RIT Chabad is held every Saturday at 6:30 p.m. with dinner at 7:00 p.m. “It was super heartwarming,” said Gabriela Benayoun, a frequent member of RIT Chabad, “We all ate latkes in the SAU and celebrating the holiday wasn’t as sad as it would have been without my family.”
Kwanzaa
In 1966, Dr. Maulana Karenga, professor and chairman of Africana studies at California State University, Long Beach, created a holiday that he believed would foster unity in the African American community. This involved a combination of several different African harvest festival traditions that Karenga turned into a week-long celebration spanning from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1. Karenga invented seven different principles to emphasize on each day: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith. Each evening there is a candle-lighting ceremony in which people discuss these principles.
End of year celebrations extend far beyond the typical December celebrations. While these cultures and traditions may look different, many recurring themes continue to represent themselves. From light over darkness, good over evil, to gratitude and giving, celebrations are open to all to honor and celebrate good will on Earth.
